On Work and Immigration

There’s an interesting op-ed in the New York Times by David Brooks (who’s recently been serving as existence proof that right-wingers can still be intelligent and interesting). He points out that the two real big differences between the U.S. and European economies is that they work harder in America (350 hours a year, that’s a lot) and they let in immigrants, a million a year in the last two decades. (Warning, I’m passing on his numbers without fact-checking.) He concludes—right-winger, remember—that this is Why America Is Winning, and on the immigration front, I think he’s exactly right. But I keep wondering why working 350 hours—9 or 10 weeks—more per year is considered a good thing.